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                                                                      Ica as 'Master Pantocrator'

Ica's Backyard. 

Culturally speaking in the interests of cultural/social history there will be presented on this page several video recordings of the musicians - and a flamenco dancer - who performed in Ica's backyard on Friday night 27th November. 2015. Sydney.  Ica (who perhaps could be noted as a suburban transformational Joseph Bueys or even a culturally sane 'King Lear' of all his 'king's land' & dominion...) is a leading contemporary figure in providing the sort of cultural spaces that are very much needed in our increasingly co-opted corporatised society which is leading to a further suffocating of true creative innovation if it falls outside the bounds of expected monetised mainstream cultural expectations. Such experimental cultural spaces are needed if culture is to regenerate and be invigorated to enter into the mainstream and help transform & benefit culture and society.  (After all, so many so-called cultural spaces seem to become co-opted by the sponsor dollar to covertly become pre-eminently advertising/economic spaces). It should also be noted that through his succinct astutely penetrating home-made beer labels to go with his home brew beer that Ica is perhaps one of Australia's leading contemporary artists reflecting many of the issues of our age.  Many of the videos are brought to you by courtesy of the Winking Possum.

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STOP PRESS: June. 2025: it is hoped that in the near future this webpage will be updated with the backyard 'Icafest'. (June 7. 2025). So watch this space in the time ahead...All the best.  P.S. the webpage needs updating anyway...

Here's Ica walking pass Steph Miller who was one of the esteemed performers in Ica's backyard. 

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A GENERAL LANGUAGE WARNING: ALTHOUGH IT IS INFREQUENT, IT SHOULD BE MENTIONED THAT MANY OF THE VIDEOS DO CONTAIN SOME STRONG LANGUAGE. (USUALLY JUST ONE OR TWO WORDS WHICH MAY NOT PLEASE SOME LISTENERS TO HEAR...). 

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TO GO TO A FULL SCREEN the video's Youtube icon has to be pressed to go to the Youtube webpage from which the full screen option can then be accessed. Many videos will be a strip going down the middle of the full screen due to the manner of filming when the smartphone was in a vertical position. I hope this does not diminish anyone's joyful viewing experience. Some videos are full screen due to being filmed on a proper digital camera.

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For Icafest. June 7, 2025.

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 Apparently according to family folklore the name 'Ica' was given to Ica by his father after Ica had got into trouble from his father and so named him Icabod who is an Old Testament character. i.e. to have 'no glory'. (Please see link below) and the name 'Ica' - as a short version of this name - has gloriously stayed with Ica ever since...

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichabod

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 An excerpt from the novel LISA which remains a 'work in progress' at time of upload. (PDF file).

* An excerpt from the novel LISA which presently remains a ‘work in progress’ and most of the above literary piece was written  many years ago, maybe even a couple of decades; yet, with some extra prose recently added. (It should be mentioned that although Master is based on Ica there is still some literary licence -being a novel - and the same goes with the other main character Michael who does not automatically align with the writer in so many ways except other than both being Australian of Greek Cypriot background). All the best. NN. (May. 2025). PS. Most of the above was read out at the ‘Icafest’. Saturday. June 7. Please note the character Master is based on Ica yet with the usual ‘literary license’ so this is not ‘documentary’; while Michael is not at all Nicholas but has a comparable ‘offsider’ background and is actually very different in many ways; in terms of the novel they are both secondary supporting characters and this whole scene never happened; except for some aspects of the Eternal Roundabout moment with ‘Lucy’ and ‘Michael’ which did actually whimsically occur on Karl Marx’s birthday thus the entry. All the animals mentioned do also come from real life. Furthermore, additional pieces of information were recently added to this ‘family friendly’ piece which references certain particular details that do relate to Ica which, although, may at times, in literary terms somewhat stifle the flow of the prose it was thought it would have been amiss to have left them out in this recent rewrite and there have surely been other ‘particulars’ that have not been included. Apologies. (I should add that the novel was begun to make sense of the tragic passing of a friend who became a victim of the AIDS pandemic in the early 1990s and who ironically has been laid to rest at Wombarra Cemetery not far from Austinmer; although, to make very clear the main character Lisa is actually not similar to her in any way; while Jesse’s ‘mistress’ is no longer with us – although she was at time of original writing - which for the writer adds a further poignancy to this novel excerpt. ‘Lucy’ thankfully, an English friend who has been residing in Australia and was for a time ‘Slave 2’, still is…). All the best. AMEN. NN.

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For the curious a longer version of the farewell notes which includes another Charles Bukowski reference to cats - a poem - which was not read out.

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Videos of musicians in Ica's backyard in earlier days...Friday night November 27, 2015.

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BEK-JEAN STEWART SINGING 'I WAS LISTENING TO BOBBY SYKES IN MY CAR'.

[It should be noted that this video repeats itself due to a quirk of the uploading and there is also some preamble beforehand which is worth listening otherwise with the singing of song actually beginning around the 1 min 55 sec mark. All the best].

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 YOU GOT FEVER    BEK-JEAN STEWART

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 Actually, here is a link which starts off with the song You Got Fever with the preamble following as extras.

 It can also be found on the cluttered maze of of this 'home made' website under 'other videos' which is an offshoot of 'textural etchings video' in sidebar. (Quite a few offbeat videos on this website if you ever care to explore...for instance, scroll down towards the lower depths of the 'leichhardt 2016 universe is on loan from the artist' webpage amongst others...).

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BEAUTIFUL SOUTH by Eva Trout as sung by original band members Grant, Bek-Jean Stewart & Steph Miller. 

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EVA TROUT DAYS... 

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'Cuz' who mentioned to Bek-Jean about the 'Souths song'. 

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2 AM IN THE WESTERN SKY  BEK-JEAN STEWART. Friday night. 27 Nov. 2015.

 The song begins around 1 min 20 sec mark and with Bek mentioning that Ica had been asking Bek to perform in Ica's backyard with it finally happening. All the best.

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BEK-JEAN STEWART SONG MONTAGE. The following is a montage of music played by Bek-Jean in Ica's backyard but were not fully recorded. The two main songs featured in this amateur video are There In The Darkness & St.Mary's Bells and to give them their due full professional recordings via Youtube have been uploaded so the songs can be truly appreciated.  

THERE IN THE DARKNESS Bek-Jean Stewart. 

ST.MARY'S BELLS  Bek-Jean Stewart. 

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Another video clip on Youtube is SLEEP LIKE A TOP

 https://youtu.be/5Nje3A8-ijU

There is also a November 2010 segment on the ABC's former program STATELINE (NSW) featuring Bek-Jean

https://youtu.be/i70ncPMtJwM

As well as an interview on the ABC's Radio National Breakfast (RN) November 2015:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/bek-jean-stewart-live-in-studio/6971674

BEK-JEAN STEWART'S WEBSITE:  http://www.bekjeanstewart.com

BY THE WAY IF THE LINK DOES NOT WORK DIRECTLY SIMPLY MASK THE WHOLE LINK AND AN OPTION SHOULD POP UP WHEN YOU CLICK MOUSE (PRESUMABLY RIGHT-CLICK) THAT WILL GIVE YOU SEVERAL OPTIONS SUCH AS GOING TO THE ADDRESS LINK OR TO DO A GOOGLE SEARCH OR IF ALL ELSE FAILS COPY & PASTE LINK INTO A WEBSEARCH TOOLBAR. THANK YOU. 

https://youtu.be/8XlPYen9BUk?si=sIOFEvVRLMavxtlo

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STEPH MILLER SINGING IN ICA'S BACKYARD.A LONG SET (UNCUT).  

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FLAMENCO DANCING.  Timothy Baker.

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BOYS LIGHT UP! SACKIE NICKNAME & EDMUND... (...oh how they do...).

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A SMATTERING OF SOME EXAMPLES OF ICA'S HOME BREW BEER LABELS.

Featured is an albino kangaroo,  Ica's three cats Mustafa, Billy & Sid (the latter two who have passed on...the images of the Billy & Sid beer labels show only details) Grant & Bek-Jean from Eva trout & the last label which can be considered to be a provocative political statement  which is typical of Ica's event-garde approach to beer labelling.

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OTHER MOMENTOUS PERFORMANCES OF THOSE MAGNIFICENT ACTS WHO PERFORMED SO EXTRAORDINARILY IN ICA'S BACKYARD. 

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I HEARD BOBBY SYKES DRIVING IN MY CAR - BEK-JEAN STEWART. 

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WINTER STATION WITH STEPH MILLER. UNION HOTEL. A LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. KING ST. ST.PETERS/NEWTOWN.

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Only...'JUST SEVENTEEN'. (The Beatles). Edmund on guitar with Ica leading the singing at Starky's 50th February. 2009. Sydney. 

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PERRY KEYES singing Kevin's Down at the TAB. (By personal request of Ica himself this song has been added. Definite strong language warning to this song!). 

Perry, Edmund & Bek-Jean. Carlisle Hotel. Newtown. On a Sunday afternoon many years ago.  You may also wish to consider the following etching:

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Edmond & Perry...again... 

(Gladstone Hotel. Dulwich Hill.  I think...).

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Aboriginal singer/songwriter DOUGIE YOUNG. THE LAND WHERE THE CROW FLIES BACKWARDS. (A glorious Ica request....). 

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Living With Robert - Paint it Blue. (The band is mentioned in the novel extract. MASTER).

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